About Us

Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles

Promoting a Deeper Spiritual Life through Healthcare, Education and Retreats

The way of life of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles is rooted in the Gospel, the Church, and the spirituality of Carmel as lived out through the charism of our foundress, Venerable Mother Maria Luisa Josefa of the Most Blessed Sacrament. In His merciful goodness, God has graced our Institute with the Carmelite charism which has its foundation in a long history and living tradition.

The spirituality of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross is rooted in this tradition. Carmel means enclosed garden in which God Himself dwells. The divine indwelling in the soul is the foundation of Teresa’s doctrine. Thus, our vocation is a grace by which contemplation and action are blended to become an apostolic service of the Church as we promote a deeper spiritual life among God’s people through education, healthcare, and spiritual retreats.

We are called by God to be a presence inflamed within our world, witnessing to God’s love through prayer, joyful witness and loving service. Our mission is a God-given mission which overflows from each sister’s profound life of prayer. It is a mission of the heart, a mission of loving service in the fields of healthcare, education and spiritual retreats. Mother Luisita, our foundress, used this analogy to describe our mission, “the soul of each Carmelite raises herself to Christ, Who is her heaven, while her shadow falls in charity upon earth doing good to all people.”

Our life is characterized by:

- A life of prayer and union with God

- A deep love for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist

- Devotion to our Blessed Mother

- Steadfast fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church

- Praying for priests

- Commitment to apostolic service of the Church through healthcare, education, and spiritual retreats

- Daily prayer together: Holy Hour, with Eucharistic adoration and rosary; chanting of the Divine Office; and two ½ hour periods of meditation (one is included during Holy Hour)